Curtain holdback



Dec. 26, 1944.

G. TROENSEGAARD ETAL 2,365,664

CURTAIN HOLDBACK Filed March '3 1942 Patented Dec. 26, 1944 GertrudeiTroensegaard andMargaret J. Aicher, Pasadena, Calif.

Application March 30, 1942, Serial No. 436,822

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a holdback' for window curtains. The usual holdback consists of a loop of curtain material that is looped around the lower portion of thecurtain so as to pull it over toward the side of the window, andthe ends of the tieback or ho'ldbackmaterial are fastened to the window frame by a nail or similar fastener. This method of holding back a curtain is not Cir entirely-satisfactory, as the material of the loop is apt to become torn at the-fastening nail. Furthermore, the loops tend to become disheveled and out of line witheach other, which would detract from the appearance of two curtains opposite to each other, as they would present an 7 unsymmetrical appearance. j Furthermore; when the tieback is formed of a loop of curtain material or cord, it does not provide any means for holding, the curtain in a regular, gathered or shirred condition. In a tieback employing curtain material ,or a cord such as described, it is difficult to keep the holding fastener for the tieback, and the tieback itself, clear of the edge of a shade or a Venetian blind, if the window happens to be provided with such blind. Such a shade carried on a shade roller, frequently is interfered with by such a tieback when the curtain is raised or lowered.

One of the objectsof this invention is to provide a holdback of simple construction, which will overcome the objections mentioned above.

A further object of the invention is to provide Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efhcient curtain holdback.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the-appended claims.

In the drawing: a

Fig. l is a front elevation showing a portion of a window and a curtain to which our invena holdback which will operate effectively to hold the lower portion of the curtain in a gathered or shirred condition, atthe same time providing clearance for the easy operation of the shade in raising or lowering the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for this purpose, having, a form which will operate to assist in permanently locating the gathers or shirred portions of :the curtain in. a uniform manner.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a bar to be used as a. holdback for a 'curtain and constructed in such away that the length of the bar will be variable so as to adapt it to curtains of different widths, orfor holding a curtain in a more or less constricted manner toward the side of the window.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the curtain material is provided with a sleeve through which the holdback bar is threaded; and one of the objects of the invention is to provide the bar with simple'means for engaging the-edge of the curtain to.hold the same back.

tion is applied.

Fig., 2 is a section taken about on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, upon an'enlarged scale, and illustrating the manner in which the holdback is secured to the window frame or reveal; also how the curtain is secured on the holdback. This view is upon an enlarged-scale.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device removed from the window frame, and without the curtain, but with the parts in the relative position which they have when they are applied to a window. This view illustrates a movable keep-' er attached to the inner end of the bar, andshowing the same in full lines in the position it has when. the bar is to be threaded through the sleeve in the curtain; and showing the keeper in dotted outline in the position it has when it is operating to hold back the curtain.

Fig. 4 is. a plan view looking downwardly, illustrating a modified embodiment of the bar of the device in which the bar is made of waved form to enable it to assist in holdingthe curtain material in a regular gathered condition.

a Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4, but in which the waves of the bar are formed of links pivoted together, thereby making the bar extensible and contractible.

i Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating a modification and showing one end of the bar with means for securing the same to the window frame. This construction is, intended particularly for usewhere the bar and its anchor socket are made of a composition such as plastic. In

this view the anchor socket is shown in crosssection, and the body of the bar is brokenv away near the shankthat is mounted in the socket.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, we provide a bar I which is adapted tobe attached to a curtain 2 so that it is concealed by the curtain.

In order to accomplish this and also to produce a simple and more practical construction, the curtain 2 is provided with 'a strip of material 3 on its inner side, attached by parallel stitches to form a transverse sleeve 4 (see Fig. 2), which is disposed either horizontally across the curtain or preferably at a slight angle as indicated at Fig. 1. We provide means at the outer end of the arm I for supporting it in a position oifset from the plane of the reveal 5 or window frame, and in the present instance, we accomplish this by providing a bracket 6 that is provided with means for attaching the same to the window frame. In the present instance, this bracket is formed with a shank 1 that extends at right angles to the plane of the window frame, and to this shank an angle bracket 8 is secured, and the shank is bent in a direction to form a foot 9 while the angle piece 8 presents a similar flange H). These two flanges can be secured to the face of the reveal 5 by screws or nails ll. The outer end of the shank 7 is bent over to form a tongue l2 extending substantially parallel with the face of the Window frame, and to this tongue the arm I is pivotally attached so as to swing on a substantially horizontal axis. If desired, this may be a snap fastener of a common type, but in the present instance, this fastening is illustrated as consisting of a rivet I3.

The tongue l2 is preferably inclined downwardly at about the same angle as the sleeve 4.

-In order to enable the arm to hold the curtain back as illustrated in Fig. 1, and at the same time to facilitate threading the arm through the sleeve 4, we provide the inner end of the arm with a keeper M which is in the form of a short flat crosshead attached by a pivot pin l5 to the bar. When the longitudinal axis of this keeper substantially coincides with the longitudinal axis of the bar, the bar can be readily threaded through the sleeve. After the sleeve has been pushed completely on the bar, then the keeper can be swung on its pivot into a transverse position as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. This will hold the curtain in the restricted and gathered condition indicated in Fig. 1.

For ornamental purposes and in order to give the device a more finished appearance, we may provide an ornamental spring clip l6 composed of two leaves ll connected by a spring hinge l8. The inner faces of these leaves I! are formed with sockets to fit over the end of the bar I, and to fit against the side edges of the crosshead l4; in other words, the inner faces of the leaves I! have sockets to fit the configuration of the bar and the transversely disposed keeper.

If desired, we may give the bar a transversely 'waved form such as that indicated in Fig. 4. In

doing this the bar may be formed of a bent fiat bar such as indicated in Figs. 1 to 3, or it may be formed of a bent wire if it is desired to construct the device most inexpensively. In either case the bar presents a series of transverse waves IS, the inner end of the bar being provided with a keeper pivotally attached to it in a manner similar to the keeper M.

In Fig. 5 we illustrate another embodiment of the invention that resembles very closely the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, except that at each wave or link 2| a pivotal connection 22 is formed. In this way the body of the bar will be composed of a series of short links 2| with bent ends at which the pivot pins 22 are placed. If the bar has this construction, it will be evident that it can be extended more or less by varying the angle at which the links extend with respect to each other. This enables the bar to be held more or less extended so as to adapt it to curtains of different widths; and to enable it to hold a curtain of a certain width in a more or less constricted condition.

It will be evident that the curtains can be very readily removed from the holdback when it is necessary to take them down from the window.

In Fig. 6 we illustrate an embodiment of the invention that adapts it to be formed of a composition such as plastic, the idea being that by using plastic, metal can be conserved for other uses. In this construction the bar 23 is made of a plastic such as tenite, and can, if desired, be made of polygonal form in cross-section; and this bar has an integral shank 24 which is round and mounted in a circular socket or opening 25 that is formed in a fitting or wall plate 26 that may be secured to the face 21 of the window frame by means of small screws 28 or other fastenings.

In practice, the shank 24 would be made as long as necessary, to provide sufficient clearance for a shade or a Venetian blind. The bars could be furnished with the shanks 24 long enough to provide for the extreme amount of clearance that would be required, and the shanks could be cut off to any length to suit particular requirements. In Fig. 6 we indicate the end of the shank projecting through. This is shown in dotted lines at 29, and at this point we illustrate a transverse drilled opening 30 to receive a cotter pin which would be passed through the same, and then have its ends 3! bent around as indicated in full lines. Clearance for the cotter pin is formed by having a counterbore or a recess 32 on the inner face of the fitting. The bottom of this recess forms a shoulder 33 against which the bent ends 3| of the cotter pin seat, in order to prevent the shank from being pulled out of the fitting.

The end of the bar 23 would be provided with a keeper for engaging the inner edge of the curtain to hold it back, and this keeper would be attached to the end of the bar in any suitable manner.

Many other embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. In a holdback construction for a curtained window, the combination of a curtain supported above and located at the side of the window and having a transverse sleeve formed in the material thereof at the point where the curtain is to be tied back, a bar supported on the window frame adjacent the end of the sleeve and extending through the sleeve, and means movably connected to the end of the bar for engaging the edge of the curtain to restrict the width of the curtain in the vicinity of the bar.

2. In a holdback construction for a curtained window, the combination of a curtain supported at the window, a bar having means for pivotally supporting the same on the window frame at the side, to swing on a substantially horizontal axis, said bar extending transversely to the curtain, and means movably mounted on the bar remote from its pivoted end to engage the curtain and restrict its width in the vicinity of the bar.

3. In a holdback construction for a curtained window, a bar supported by a bracket having a foot for attachment to the window frame and having it outer end offset from the face of the window frame, said bar supported on said offset end of the bracket and extending transversely to the curtain,and means movably mounted on the end of the bar for engaging the curtain to restrict its width in the vicinity of the bar.

4. In a holdback construction for a curtained window, a bar supported by a bracket having a foot for attachment to the window frame and having its outer end o-fi'set from the face of the Window frame, said bar supported on said offset end of the bracket and extending transversely to the curtain, and means movably mounted on the end of the bar for engaging the curtain to restrict its width in the vicinity of the bar, said bar having a transverse wave form in a substantially horizontal plane.

5. In a holdback device for a window curtain having a transverse sleeve located where the curtain is to be held back; a bar having a body disposed in a plurality of transverse waves, adapted to be inserted in the transverse sleeve formed in the curtain, said bar being pivotally mounted on the window so that the said waves may be disposed in a substantially horizontal plane, said waves holding the curtain in a shirred state at said bar.

6. In a h'oldback construction for a curtained window, the combination of a curtain supported at the window and, having a sleeve thereacross, a bar supported on the window frame in a position to extend transversely to the curtain and concealed withinthe sleeve, means on the bar for engaging the edge of the curtain to restrict the width of the curtain in the vicinity of the bar, including a keeper mounted on a pivot perpendicular to the bar and at the outer end thereof, and adapted to extend longitudinally with the bar when the same is being introduced through i the curtain sleeve, and'adapted to be placed in a transversely disposed position across the end of the sleeve after the bar has been passed through the sleeve, to hold the curtain in a shirred condition.

'7. In a holdback device for a curtained window wherein the curtain has a transverse sleeve, a bar adapted to be threaded longitudinally through the curtain sleeve, and a keeper movably secured to the outer end of the bar, engageable with the adjacent edge of the curtain to hold the curtain back.

8. A holdback device for a curtain having a transverse sleeve threadable longitudinally through the said sleeve, and consisting of a bar composed of links with curved ends pivoted together, the links being adjustable on their pivots to vary the length of the bar, and to facilitate threading it through the sleeve.

GERTRUDE TROENSEGAARD. MARGARET J. AICI-IER. 

